Out and About

Walking Around Downtown Troy

On our Discovering Communities walkabout in Troy, our Rensselaer County Historical Society leader, Ilene, guided the children in comparing urban, rural and suburban communities. The group was familiar with the vocabulary and readily named Troy as an urban area. We headed out into the city to investigate the environment.

Everyone received a photo of something we would see on our walk. We were expected to yell "city!" when we found an example and the group stopped. We gathered around Ilene and she explained in detail what was important about each feature. 

We hunted for things like: stoops; mail slots; boot scrapers; animals carved or placed on buildings; statues; fire escapes; alleys, services like garbage cans, newspaper boxes, mailboxes, and lamp posts; etc. A feature's use or significance was explained. Any historical importance was shared and put into context. Finally, the children began thinking through how a city operates, the services it requires and offers its citizens, and compared this urban environment to rural and suburban communities. In the weeks ahead we'll also think about how people adapt historic structures and neighborhoods to serve their current needs.

Hudson River Snapshot Day

The day was cloudy and a teeming rain was our constant companion at the Troy Dam. But no matter.  The 2-3s and 6-7s smoothly rotated through their science stations. Everyone was busy and fully engaged -- what a productive morning at the riverside!

Each 2-3 was equipped with a clipboard, data sheet and pencil. The group was broken into three teams and rotated to three stations. At each station, there was a task to complete and data to record.

Two staff members from the state's Department of Environmental Conservation and Max, one of our parents, donned hip waders and worked a 25 foot seine net in the channel. They collected lots of fish for the 2-3s to observe at one station. The children were responsible for identifying the fish using a key, and then had to record counts of each species on their data sheets. The kids got up close and personal with bass, spottail shiners, herring and a blue gill sunfish.

 

At the second station, the 2-3s ran tests for chlorophyll, pH and turbidity and recorded their findings.

At the third station, they used viewfinders to capture a detailed observational sketch of our site.

 
Kate has sent our data to DEC and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

The Parker 2-3s and 6-7s: Citizen Scientists!! 

THANK YOU to all of the parents who drove, chaperoned and helped guide the children through both field trips.

* Thank you to Meg for the Snapshot Day photos!